The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
by Latte Masamune
Summary: Zhao's adopted daughter vies for his acceptance and love, going to extreme lengths for him to see her as something close to flesh and blood. Her determination and skills makes her a more larger obstacle than Zuko has ever faced before. However, is it because they both yearn the same thing that they end up seeing the thin line between friends and enemies? Zuko x OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer** : I do not own A:TLA. Characters outside the tv show of are my creations, so they belong to me.

 **A/N** : Hello, and welcome to my first fanfic! I hope I impressed~

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A week had fully gone by before the world was spread of news that the Avatar had returned. There was joy, there was anger, and there were people wondering how the Avatar's return worked in their favor. Even now, they had to wonder what would become of their lives now that the Avatar had decided to show his face again. After a hundred years had gone by, and the Avatar before him had failed to stop Sozin, what is to be expected? Was hope a child's dream? Maybe. All anyone could do was wait to see what the Avatar would do.

Unless he was stopped that is.

But before that, what was happening at this very moment would shift focus from him. Now, at this very moment, the weather was gloomy and rainy. There was a steady grey curtain of clouds covering the skies as water poured heavily. The darkness and rain had obstructed the view, making everything cold and unwelcoming.

In the middle of the rain, not bothering to find shelter and shield for cover, was a person wearing a blue hooded-cape, which offered some protection from the overwhelming elements. Occassionaly, a petite hand would wipe the rain off their face, squinting to see as they remained focus on their destination.

The road was heavy, making it harder for them to track whom they were looking for. It was difficult for the Armadillo Lion, who couldn't see in the water and had to slow down crossing the small streams and pools that were continuously expanding from the rain. "I need to catch him by nightfall. Otherwise, I might lose him for good."

Looking over their shoulder, they looked at the lion that slowly made its way back to their side. The hand slowly reached to stroke its head, boney fingers combing through the wet fur to dampen its agitated mood. "I know you hate the rain, Xun." The words didn't seem to lessen the animal's frustration, but it did relax it some and made him nuzzled his head into their owner's hand.

Looking to their left, they had seen a homely tavern. Their eyes squinted in suspicion, wondering if that was where their target had went. They couldn't stay out in the rain too long, so what better place to go was in one of these open places? Their stride was slow, Xun following behind them until they had reached the doors. Their hand went out to halt the animal, which immediately knew he couldn't follow them inside.

With a growl of indignation, they rested beside the door to wait for their own, while they had went outside the busy and chattering place. Glasses were clinking, laughter as loud and hearty, and arguments ranging from playful to anger. In the corner of the establishment was a Fire Nation soldier but what was odd about him was the fact that the skull plate of their helmet was down, which meant they were trying to conceal their identity.

It was him. The one that the hooded mercenary was looking for.

Pulling out a knife from their sleeve, they made a slow approach to the soldier. Once they were close enough, they held the sharp blade to their throat. "You're coming with me."

Knowingly caught, they quickly evaded the knife before fleeing out the door. With a sigh of frustration, and a small rub to their right temple, they quickly went after him. The man changed his course to the left, heading through the forest. The mercenary followed in pursuit, wet branches slapping them in the face, but not stopping.

Xun was behind them before sliding beneath his owners legs and into the designed saddle. Grabbing the reigns, they allowed the cat to follow after him. Unable to not feel frustrated from the chase, they waited until the distance had shorten before pulling an arrow from the quiver and setting the attack.

With squinted eyes, trying to see through the rain, they had pulled the string back as their finger remained pointed to the man's back. "You're mine." The arrow cut through the air, breaking the wind and piercing into the back of the man's shoulder. He went down, screaming and writhing, as his captor walked over with unrushed steps. "If you hadn't run then you wouldn't be in this predicament Zhangsun."

The man immediately grabbed the arrow, wincing and growling as he attempted to pull it out. "What do you want?!"

"Its not about what I want." They retorted, eyes fixated but unseen from the shadow of their hood. "You're coming with me." Grabbing the back of his collar, the mercenary turned around and dragged the man from out of the forest.

"What's in this arrow? Why can't I move?!" He yelled, "I demand to know what's wrong with my body!"

With a smirk, his captor looked over his shoulder. "Just a small dosage of herbs. Something to keep you still since you like to runaway. You're smarter than that, Zhangsun~"

His body was unable to move, but his bronze eyes had done all the fighting for him, even though the emotions flickering across those orbs did not help him.

"You're going to drag me through this mud?" As if he hadn't questioned them enough, he kept pouring them out. "Haven't I lost any dignity I already had when you captured me?"

Silence befell them for several minutes until he received an answer. "If I were you, I would shut my mouth. You know, my father always told me that I was a little too lenient—too nice for his tastes at times—so if you want, I can do more than paralyze you."

The answer was enough to silence him, for good. The Armadillo-Lion had strutted alongside its owner, a trot to his step; seemingly pleased that they would soon be getting out of this rain and into a place where it could find comfort.

It didn't take long before they reach the harbor. Rows and rows of ships were docked, but the most notable one was the large, metal ship. The steel of it looked to be dusted black, but the tints of red of the windows and the Fire Nation flag of red banners with black flame insignia waved.

Zhangsun had fell asleep during their travel, but no matter. They had arrived at their destination and so there was no use in worrying whether he was awake or not just yet. The metal gangplank had lowered when the soldiers on deck had seen the familiar people.

With a short ( albeit tired ) stride, they made their way up and into the ship. Immediately, soldiers had rushed towards them in efforts to relieve the mercenary of their troubles, but they were silenced by the sight of her hand. Instead, they walked down the corridor and towards the meeting chamber where the Commander of the ship remained by his desk.

"Here." Tossing the man in the middle of the room, the mercenary lowered themselves to their knees to properly kneel as the Armadillo-lion had sat and remained at their side.

Brown hair was pulled into a neat and firm topknot, his odd characteristic that made him stood out were his prominent side burns. Other than that, he was a tall man with a muscular build; top heavy and strong, which made his presence quite intimidating. His eyes were a dull shade of amber and seem to scrutinize and seize all opportunities of everything before him.

His mouth, while thing, was hardly expressive. He could force a smile, a scary one, but he preferred to either smirk or frown. And at this very moment, he found himself smirking. "You did not disappoint."

"I would not return empty handed." The reply kept the expression on his face, his hands pressed to the desk as he lifted his lower half from the chair before walking around the desk. His arms were behind him, his stance authoritative and making the captor feel small.

"I'm glad you know better." said Zhao as he used his feet to turn Zhangsun over on his back but at the same time, driving the arrow deeper into the man's shoulder.

That was enough to wake him, his teeth clenching and hunching himself over while trying to deal with his flesh getting further pierced. His eyes immediately then looked above him, at Zhao, and suddenly the pain literally meant nothing.

The man, who realized the effect of the arrow had worn off, immediately got himself to his knees to prostrate himself at the Commander's feet. "C-Commander Zhao!"

"Hello Zhangsun, it has been quite some time since we had last seen one another." There was something quite frightening in the Commander's voice, mainly from the way he was leering at the man most likely that would make anyone's mouth dry.

The mercenary watched the scene unfold before them hood over their head and mouth a thin, tight line. "Please, please have mercy on me!"

"Mercy?" With a raised thick and high arched brow, Zhao's head tilted back in mocked amazement, "That isn't up to me. That is up to the Fire Lord, I'm afraid, isn't that right?" He shifted his gaze to the mercenary, who had given a silent nod. "So, your pleas of mercy should be saved for when you are in chains and brought to him."

"Please! I'll do anything, please!" Zhangsun's desperate wails bounced off the steel walls. Zhao looking somewhat satisfied yet annoyed. "Please, spare me, Commander Zhao."

The talented firebender closed his eyes, seemingly in thought. "There's nothing you can offer me that pays as much as the Fire Lord's gratitude and possibility of a rank. Unless, of course, you know something about the Avatar."

"The Avatar?" echoed the prisoner, his eyes frantically looking at the floor as he tried to come up with a quick solution. "I-I…" He stuttered, both Zhao and the mercenary waitings for him to spill whatever was at the tip of his tongue, "Well…"

"I see. You know nothing and that means you are of no use to me." Turning away from him, showing his large back, he yelled "Soldiers! Takes him to the cells."

Without a second to waste, Fire Nation naval soldiers had flooded the room and grabbed Zhangsun from off the floor. The man kicked and screamed, still begging for mercy as if he had no pride. Soon enough, the room was filled with silence as the flickering flames illuminated the Commander's face.

"Have you found any word of the Avatar?" Due to no one else in the room besides the mercenary, it was obvious the question was meant for them.

"No, I haven't heard a thing." Shifting, placing weight on the right leg due to the left falling asleep, they kept their head tilted up to gaze upon Zhao. "It seems most people only know that he has returned."

Zhao's shoulders relaxed some. "That doesn't concern me. After that run-in with Prince Zuko the other day, I need all the information I can of where the Avatar is going."

"Prince...Zuko?" The surprise in their voice was quite clear, "What is that loser doing around here?"

Zhao began to walk towards his desk, pulling back the chair to sit down and rest his arms atop of it with his hands making a bridge and tucked under his chin. "You may remove your hood, Izanami."

A hue of pink danced across their cheekbones until finally, they had pulled the blue hood and revealed their face. Their large, light grey eyes were now revealed to him. "Apologies."

Sitting before Zhao, this young mercenary, was Izanami; a child he adopted upon his travels. Izanami was parentless when he found her and dangerous enough to beat the other children when he promised that group of kids clothes and warmth for whoever won. Although it was just a way to pass the time, he was amazed at her fearlessness; the desire to win burning into those eyes of hers. Right then, at that moment, he knew he could shape her into a formidable soldier.

Due to her not being a Fire Nation native, he had settled into making her an assassin for him. Her front was to be a mercenary, taking money from any Fire Nation citizen or noble that required her services but doing his own mission and sharing the wealth amongst the both of him ( him getting the higher cut that is ). He hasn't found any reason to be disappointed in her just yet either, but he wonders if she could go toe-to-toe with a certain royal brat.

"He beat me in an Agni Kai." Izanami's body stiffened, eyes widened by his words. "All because he showed mercy. I've never fought anyone who didn't have the intention to harm, but I've should've known since he has a weak heart."

She knew that his words obviously meant that his pride was blown to pieces. And for a moment, she wondered how the Fire Nation prince looked when he beat her adopted father. It had been years since she last saw him. The desire to see him was next to nothing. Izanami never understood the girls amongst her fascination with him, he was just a brooding boy with a handsome face. You could find that anywhere in the Fire Nation. The only difference was he was a prince. A crown prince; or he was those years ago.

Unsure of what to say that wouldn't insult him, her eyes looked down to the floor before gazing up at him, now fully okay with her thought. "You want me to deal with him?"

Closing his eyes, shielding his cold eyes from the world, he had given her a stern nod. "Chasing the Avatar will not be easy, but if I have you fending off Prince Zuko while I grab the boy then that would be a more sufficient feat."

Using one knee to kneel and her left hand over her heart, she bowed her head towards him. "If that is what you need of me then I shall do it."

"You may go to your cabin. We have a long day ahead of us." His hand waved towards the door, which she had gone to her feet and given another bow. As she turned around to open the door, he spoke again. "We cannot kill him. Just harm him enough where he is able to be taken back to the Fire Lord."

Izanami looked over her shoulder, her eyes staring down at the floor. "I won't hurt him too much."

"That's what I like to hear." Leaving the cabin with Xun at her side,, she closed the metal door behind her and let out a long sigh. Kicking the air, she ruffled her hair with her fingers.

"When the hell am I ever going to get a break?!" She whined, her head tilted back as her feet continued to kick out of frustration. Even though he told her to rest, she would rather go to the kitchen and get something to eat.

"I'm hungry, Xun. Aren't you?" She asked the feline, who rubbed his head against her calves in response. With a small smile, she walked down the corridors eager to get a tasty snack without Zhao's permission.


	2. Chapter 1: The Plan

**Disclaimer** : I do not own A:TLA. Characters outside the tv show of are my creations, so they belong to me.

 **A/N** : Hello, and welcome to my first fanfic! I hope I impressed~

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It was a given that the ship would be so active early in the morning. Everyone on the ship was a Firebender that hailed from the Fire Nation; natural early risers. The only way she could bother to way up the same time as them was to go to bed early to get enough sleep. Even now, she didn't want to move from her bed. Instead, her arms remained wrapped around the pillow with the side of her face buried against it. Mercenaries didn't get days off unless they didn't want to be paid. Even though her father was her boss, she wouldn't get a day off unless he demanded it, which seemed to equate to never actually happening.

In her sleep, she didn't have to hunt anyone down. She didn't have to travel through so many different terrains and deal with crazy weather as well as crazy people that would not cooperate. Right here, in this cabin, she could lay her head to rest and sleep soundly. The only thing that annoyed her was the fact that the clanking of boots and the fact that some people liked to slam those metal doors closed. Izanami was a natural light sleeper and so she constantly jumped up in the middle of the night, startled by sounds. Just when she was comfortable, she would have to wake.

Prying her eyes open, her eyes lazily stared across the room in a sleepy daze. Her body felt heavy as if lifting herself off the bed would prove to be an impossible feat. She couldn't be lazy, not when the man could send someone marching down to demand her presence. She didn't want to give her father any reason to be angry with her.

Disappointing him was easy. It didn't take much. If you had done something wrong by the slightest margin, you would receive a hurl of insults and criticism that could not be dealt with a soft heart. No matter how much Izanami said that she was strong and didn't care if he was angry, she did and always found herself wanting to break down in a fit of anger or tears whenever she failed or upset him. It couldn't be healthy to go through such lengths for his acceptances but she would fight tooth and nail for it.

With a tired sigh, she propped herself up before fulling sitting up on the bed. Her hands rubbing her eyes so that the tired blur would go away and she could fully see her surroundings. In the corner of the room, Xun was asleep on his red, large cushion. His paws were in the air, back flat against it as he would occasionally act as if he were running some place. Izanami snorted at the sight, shaking her head before making her way to the washroom that was connected to her room. She would go through the daily ritual of washing her face, brushing her teeth. She even decided for another bath, still wishing the smell of rain would leave her hair. That's why she hated a lot of outside missions, but there was nothing she could do about the weather.

After the bath, wringing out her hair with her bare fists, she had dressed in her room. She wore a grey, sleeveless cheongsam tunic with grey piping and black, baggy pants with black boots to match with grey, wrist-length fingerless gloves. The only color to her outfit was the blue hooded-cape. There was no use in dressing up for her profession.

Her hair was styled as it usually was, straight and hime-style but her hair had grown considerably over the past few years since Izanami was too lazy to cut it. Her hair was now a few inches past her waist while the strands that frame her face had grown chin-length. Zhao constantly complained about her hair but whenever she mentioned of cutting it, he seemed to refuse. Izanami could only assume that it was because soon he would have to marry her off and most men did prefer women with long hair as if it were some sort of status or virtue.

That would mean that her impending doom of a marriage would be among her soon, which left an awful taste in her mouth. Just the thought of her marrying anyone that her father thought would benefit him did not sit well. It could be an old man, a snob or possibly one of those spoiled noble boys from the Capital or Ember Island.

At least she wouldn't be marrying the prince. Her father couldn't stand the boy and often called him a 'pompous twit' or 'spoiled brat' whenever they were behind closed doors. Her thoughts continued as she left her room, wondering absently down the corridor. The prince was an odd subject to her and she had to put on faces about him whenever her father was around.

In actuality, Izanami felt indifferent about him. She empathized with him to some degree and even felt sorry for him. She knew the boy wouldn't dare like her pity and so she never unveiled that to him as if she could anyway. So, she called him a loser, an idiot, an imbecile and etc. All in efforts to cover up her empathy and pity. In some ways, she was grateful to him since they met before when they were much younger, he had shown kindness to her.

Normally, Izanami would take this time to be to herself but because of the Avatar, she would expect her father to be on her tail on his capture. Leaving her room and entering the corridors, her arms swung absently at her sides. Soldiers walked the halls without so much of a word being said, everyone was attentive and sharp because they would be scolded otherwise. Occasionally, she was given a bow out of respect and she gave a nod of acknowledgement in return.

Her feet lead her to the bridge of the flagship, watching her father's back as the sea was visible from this view. Her eyes softened upon the sight of it. "Prince Zuko is near, which means the Avatar must not be too far away."

His voice broke her concentration, her eyes shifting back to his back as he slowly turned to face her. "What do you want me to do? Sneak on the Prince's ship or should I take a cuttership and tail the Avatar?"

Zhao hummed in thought, "I highly doubt you could disguise yourself on his ship. Zuko has known this crew for nearly three years now." His point made sense, her head nodding in agreement. "He would spot you out really quickly. The second might work."

Impatiently she turned towards the door, "Then let's do it. I'll capture the Avatar."

"Izanami." Stopping mid-action, she looked over her shoulder, "How can you handle the Avatar? He's an Airbender as well as the Avatar, nothing you've faced before."

Although he had a point, it wasn't like him to doubt her. In fact, that infuriated her. Not at him, but at the fact that she wasn't seen as capable enough to go toe-to-toe with a boy who could use gusts of wind. "I can handle him."

"Your arrows won't work and your fists are barely enough." She was starting to realize that it was boiling down to the obvious fact. She wasn't a bender, and so how she could fight him? She fought many benders before but they came with experience where this Airbender, this Avatar, did not.

In an irritated haste, she spun around at an angle, her weight shifting all to one side as she bore into him with undaunted eyes. "I've never gave you a reason to doubt me before, Commander. I will get the Avatar."

Zhao leaned in, the gleam in his eyes unreadable. Izanami felt her mouth go dry and her eyes lowered in efforts to not challenge him, "I'll give you two weeks. Return with the Avatar or give me information. If you fail, well, maybe banishment isn't a bad punishment."

Her heart stammered upon his words, her eyes as wide as they could muster. Her lips were parted due the shock of his words but she sewed them closed before speaking again. "I...I won't fail."

"You don't sound as confident as you did before." He derided.

"I promise." Her stutter was gone and her look of astonishment had been wiped off her face. Her eyes remained glued to the floor unable to look at him as resolute as she did before. He noticed the fire within her eyes dimmed but he had no one else to fault but himself.

"Do you know what I told you before?" Her head slowly tilted back, her eyes gazing from off the floor and up at him. "What is most important to the heart of a warrior?"

Izanami tried to reflect back on the answer but to no avail. "You never told me the answer."

"What do you think is the answer, Izanami?" The tone of his voice made her unsettled, his eyes piercing into her as if he would burn holes through her skin and flesh.

"I...I don't know, Dad." Her voice was quiet, her eyes looking at everywhere but not at him.

"Look at me." Immediately, her eyes followed the order. "It is to desire with one's very soul every second of every day to accomplish one's aim." Her expression shifted into genuine thought, "When you are given a goal or a mission, you must do it with ever fiber of your being. I won't accept half-baked strategies or attempts."

Closing her eyes, she channeled the determination from her mind that she had earlier and nodded solidly. "I won't let you down."

"Leave Xun here. He'll be a nuisance to you out there." With another nod, she had soon left the flagship. She would have to prepare herself to meet the Avatar.

o **O** o

The sun was descending through the sky, towards the horizon. Winter's chilly air had drifted across the across, making whoever came in contact with the cold breeze shiver straight to the bone from the chill. Zuko could bear the cold, he had gotten use to it after sailing the South Pole's arctic waters for quite some time. He could bear through. He could bear through it as if it was nothing. The chill was nothing compared to the life he was enduring.

"Nephew, the chef has cooked some marvelous steamed salmon." His uncle's voice had broke his concentration, the boy's eyes nearly rolling in the back of his head. It seemed like Pai Sho, tea, and food were the only things that crossed his uncle's mind. Even when the Avatar was now fully returned, his mindset hadn't changed.

"Uncle, I have no time to be worried about that. I haven't found a single trace of the Avatar since we last saw him." He tried his best not to raise his voice, trying the calm approach to warn the old man that his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only.

Iroh's smile didn't falter, realizing that his nephew was reeling back on his temper. It was a rare thing, but it made him proud to see the prince attempt to do so. "I know, nephew. It is dinner time and you need to eat. You haven't eaten in the past two days. I let you get away with it then, but no more."

It was true. Normally, Iroh would nag him but he had let him do what he wanted despite the costs. Zuko's grip on the metal railings had loosened and a sigh escaped him. "Alright." He mumbled, loud enough for his uncle to hear but not loud enough to hurt his fragile ego.

"I'm surprised I haven't seen Zhao since... well, the Agni Kai." mentioned Iroh, his eyes looking up thoughtfully. "Do you suppose he is up to something or has an inkling where the Avatar might be?" Zuko had set his jaw, glad that he wasn't the only one thinking about that. It had been odd that there was no sighting of the newly promoted Commander. "However, I have heard rumors that his daughter has been seen on his ship."

"Izanami..." Her name was said with disdain, the prince having negative feelings about that as well. "Then that means he probably has her looking for the Avatar." Now he had two problems: Zhao and Izanami. It was easier with just Zhao, but Izanami was hardly a small threat. She wasn't someone he could turn a blind eye to.

His uncle's gaze lingered on him as if trying to decipher how he was handling the news. Zuko was holding up pretty well, but the boy was an internalizer. The only emotion he had no problem showing was his anger, which worried Iroh deeply. "We'll just keep heading north. I doubt he has changed directions." The boy ordered. "I'm not letting Zhao get his hands on him."

The ship sailed the waters, heading north still. The open waters had continued to be somewhat of an irritating solace to him. The sea was calm as it had been for the past few days, but he grew tired of the endless ocean that further divided him from his home. He was tired of the stretched out color of blue. He missed the colors of red, gold, and black that symbolized his nation. If only he could just capture the Avatar then he could go home, he wouldn't ask for anything else.

"Helmsman!" His voice caught the attention to one of the soldiers on the ship. Immediately freezing in place, they quickly turned and saluted towards him. "Send my dinner to my room."

"Yes, Prince Zuko!" Without hesitation or another word, the man quickly left to complete his order. Iroh's smile hadn't fallen, content now that his nephew would willingly eat.

"I'll remain on deck and report any sightings of the Avatar." Iroh's hand latched onto the boy's shoulder, "Eat and sleep, you need it."

Without protest, despite how bowed his eyebrows were, Zuko had gave a stiff nod and walked towards the latch. Opening the door, he slowly looked over his shoulder at his uncle before walking inside of the ship.

The corridors were busy, helmsmen walking down the halls with their weapons in their hands. There were fewer due to it being night but they had changed shifts for their active duties. He found no reason to complain or to keep him awake. He was usually critical of everything but there was nothing to criticize. He would just have to accept the fact that he would have to eat and rest as he told his uncle he would.

Opening the doors of his quarters, he walked inside with his eyes closed. With protruding eyes, Zuko rushed his head around, darting his sight to all corners of the room, fearing he wasn't the only one in the room. "Whoever you are. Come out."

The sound of clapping filled the room, his eyes now glaring towards the corner of his quarters. Out of the shadow, a hooded-figure appeared. Their face was halfway masked, "Ah, that was good, Prince Zuko."

"Izanami." His voice was dangerously smooth. It was as if he was trying to tame his anger and pretending to keep his cool. "What are you doing on my ship?!"

Adjusting her cape, pulling the hood from off her head, she had given him a careless shrug. "I have a proposition for you." Slowly, she walked towards his desk where his food was still steaming. She took a seat and shifted her body into a slant, the chair creaking as she craned her neck out in Zuko's direction. "That is, if you're willing to listen, _my prince_ ~"

Zuko's skin crawled upon her teasing tone. He hated when she did that to him, "As if!" He yelled, making a swiping motion with his arm. "Why would I work with you? Especially when you're working under someone I loathe.."

With a deep sigh, she rested her hand on the desk and tapped her fingers one by one. "You see, Prince Zuko, I figured that since you and I got our daddy issues that it would make us perfect partners, don't ya think?"

"There a big difference between you and I as well as our issues." He said, taking a step forward with knitted brows. "I suggest you leave my ship or else I—"

"Listen to me first." Izanami cut in. "You're excellent at tracking the Avatar, and I'm good at pinpointing locations. You can never seem to find out where exactly he is going without it being a hunch, but just the direction is what you get right, right? I can help you with that." She saw the boy's eyes close, his lips curled in irritation. "You know I'm telling you the truth. Its just, whoever successfully captures him gets to take him back to the Fire Nation."

How could he believe that she was being genuine? After all, she could be using him. He wasn't that naive to believe that he could trust her, especially when it came to the Avatar. "Alright, if that doesn't sweeten the deal then how about I just help you and let you capture the Avatar."

"What?" Zuko's eyes widen, incredulous by what she had just said.

Her elbows were now propped on the desk her hands making a bridge to hold up her head. "My dad is being unrealistic here. He doesn't seen how it'll work in his favor if it seems he helped you. Not only would the Fire Lord reward him for bringing back the Avatar, but also redeeming his son; the heir to the throne. Lord knows Azula wouldn't be a good Fire Lord. She'll destroy everyone."

It was true. Zuko would hate to see his _darling_ sister on the throne. She would be ruthless despite being a perfect tactician. She didn't handle outsiders well, and outsiders consisted of everyone outside her friends. Although she could put on an act and was great at given orders, if someone didn't do those orders right then they would die or be banished. Could she banish and kill everyone that did not live up to her expectations? "Either way, it comes down to me helping Zhao."

"He's my father, after all. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." She replied with a leer that made Zuko's skin crawl. "Besides, if I don't get this wind-blowing runt, I'll be banished just like you. And trust me, I'm not willing to follow in your footsteps, your _Highness_.."

His guarded eyes locked on her, seemingly fighting the battle of trust and distrust with a mixture of his pride fanning the flames of his distrust. "You think I would feel sympathetic towards your cause?"

"I'm just saying, you know how it feels." She answered simply, "Young, afraid, and alone in the open world. You're lucky to have your uncle, and a crew of loyal men at your disposal. If I were banished, it would be just me, myself, and I."

"How did you even get on my ship?" Zuko finally questioned, his arms folded and eyes still peering at her. He was making sure she wouldn't sneak her way past him or to fight him.

With a shrug, she closed her eyes in thought. "All I did was knock out three of your little metal heads at the back of the ship. I've been watching their rounds since this morning."

"Tch," sucking his teeth, he leaned against the wall with a scowl still in form on his face. "I trusted you once before and you betrayed me."

"Are you seriously bringing up the past?" Her eyes flew open, a brooding wrinkle on her brow. "You know why I had to do it."

"You didn't have to. That's the whole point." Zuko watched her eyes dart left, avoiding his gaze. "How can I trust anything you say?"

For once, she found herself unable to talk her way out of this one. She was quiet for a while, letting her mind try to conjure up the best way to convince him. Pushing her hands on the table, she pushed the chair back as she stood straight. "Listen, I'm not gonna beg." Inching her way towards him, her arms akimbo, she leaned towards him. "You're either in or you're out. Doesn't matter to me because if I get the Avatar in my hands, it's all over for you."

"And why does that matter to you?" He queried, "You said you want to use me for my ability to track the Avatar, but is that it? Are you actually trying to get something else out the deal?"

Izanami stared at him blankly, her throat infested with dryness. "What else would I want from you? You did something three generations of your family could not. Why else would I seek your help?"

"So, what you're saying is that you're not confident to catch him by yourself?" Izanami rolled her eyes, her arms thrown in the air in exasperation. "Answer my question."

"What do you want me to say? I basically said I want your help, I didn't say I need it. Look, you obviously have time to ask a million questions, but I don't." Stomping her feet towards the door, she had grabbed onto the latch before looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "Are you in or are you out? That's the last time I'm gonna ask because if you are then-"

"I'm in." His answer surprised her, her hand letting go of the latch so that she could fully turn to look at him.

"So Prince Zuko is in on the plan? Alright, then here is how it's gonna go." Izanami waltzed her way towards the middle of the room, her hands resting on her hips. "You leave General Iroh and your crew behind."

"What?" Of course, she didn't expect him to be on board with everything just yet.

Shifting her way to her right foot, she casually looked down at her left foot. "Are you going to let me explain?" His silence gave her indication that she could continue without being interrupted, hopefully. "We're gonna need General Iroh and your crew to tail behind us, maybe even a little ahead of us. You and I will go on foot. Do you know which direction the Avatar is currently going?"

"He went North, but then a little ways west." He answered, showing cooperation for the first time.

Izanami rested her head against her palm, her eyes closed in concentration. "He's getting dangerously close to the Fire Nation, isn't he? I doubt he's ready, so he would be stupid march his way there." Zuko's eyes observed her actions, his arms still folded across his chest. "North and a little ways west, there's only one place I can think of and it's the Earth Kingdom fortress."

"Why would he go there?" The Prince questioned.

"I'm not saying that's where he's going, but that's within the direction he's going. Unless, he's making his way to crescent island." She could see the shift of Zuko's expression, somewhat unnerved by her words. Izanami could only guess it was because Zuko couldn't follow the Avatar in Fire Nation waters. "Its the sanctuary for Avatar Roku. The Avatar connects with his past selves, doesn't he?"

With a quiet voice, he answered. "It's been assumed."

"So, we'll have to capture him before he even gets there."


End file.
